Green Connections News

As President and CEO of Cleantech San Diego, Mr. Anderson is leading the organizations efforts to position the greater San Diego region as the globally recognized leader in the innovation and adoption of clean technologies and sustainable business practices. Mr. Anderson took his time to chat with us and answer some questions about Cleantech San Diego, the San Diego region, etc.

Could you please tell us more about Cleantech San Diego and what it is you do?Cleantech San Diego is a nonprofit member organization that positions the greater San Diego region, including Imperial County and Baja California, as a global leader in the cleantech economy.

We achieve this by fostering collaborations across the private-public-academic landscape, leading advocacy efforts to promote cleantech priorities, and encouraging investment in the San Diego region.

Cleantech San Diego’s membership includes more than 100 local businesses, universities, governments, and nonprofits committed to advancing sustainable solutions for benefit of the economy and the environment.

Since the start in 2007, what has been accomplished within Cleantech San Diego?Eight years since our founding, we now have 120 private, public, and academic member organizations from across the greater San Diego region supporting our mission. In addition, the San Diego region’s list of cleantech companies has grown from 125 to over 800. Throughout the years we have worked with our members and partners to position San Diego as a leader in the cleantech economy.

Last year San Diego was named the #4 metro region for cleantech leadership in the country. We are the #2 city in the nation for solar installations. We have 18,000 electric vehicles on our roads and more than 900 public charging stations. Furthermore, We are home to the top programs in the nation for algae biofuel research and top companies working in commercialization of biorenewables. We are also fortunate to have access to progressive municipalities, universities, and the military, all committed to advancing cleantech innovations. Our stakeholders clearly view cleantech and sustainability solutions as exciting business opportunities, and the citizens are continuing to demand those solutions.

"Last year San Diego was named the #4 metro region for cleantech leadership in the country. We are the #2 city in the nation for solar installations. We have 18,000 electric vehicles on our roads and more than 900 public charging stations"

What kind of projects does Cleantech San Diego currently work with?Cleantech San Diego is involved in a variety of public-private initiatives ranging from helping secure Clean Energy Jobs Act (Proposition 39) funds for energy upgrades at San Diego schools, preparing local cleantech startups for market entry through our SCRUB program, and advancing the adoption of electric vehicle infrastructure throughout the region.

Additionally, there is a great deal of interest in our Smart Cities San Diego initiative, which is bringing exciting new energy- and cost-saving technologies from companies like Intel, Dell, OSIsoft, and Black & Veatch to landmark locations such as the Port of San Diego, the City of Chula Vista, and the San Diego International Airport. These high-profile cleantech deployments will continue to advance San Diego's position as a global smart city leader.You are also the executive director of the Cleantech San Diego Education Foundation – tell us more about that! And what kind of projects you work with!The Cleantech Education Foundation is designed to develop education and workforce development programs aligned with the mission of Cleantech San Diego. The EDGE Initiative – which stands for Educating and Developing workers for the Green Economy – is a great example of this kind of work.Since 2010 a consortium of local groups have been training biofuel workers at UC San Diego and MiraCosta College with a $4-million grant from the state’s Department of Labor under the EDGE Initiative. The grant involves the work of a number of local public and private partners, including Cleantech San Diego, BIOCOM, BIOCOM Institute, San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, Imperial Valley Economic Development Corporation, California Center for Algae Biotechnology (Cal-CAB), UC San Diego, UC San Diego Extension, San Diego State University, San Diego Workforce Partnership, and MiraCosta College. At UC San Diego Extension, over 166 students have enrolled in the EDGE Biofuels Certificate Program and more than 70 certificates had been earned as of last year.What are your 3 best tips on being climate smart in a big city like San Diego?

Take advantage of financing options for energy efficiency upgrades to your home. Companies like Renovate America can help you save money on everything from solar panels to artificial turf.

If you can, make the switch to an electric vehicle or use all-electric car-sharing services like Car2Go.

Appreciate your surroundings. San Diego is a beautiful place to live, which is a constant reminder to be energy conscious and do our part so we can continue to enjoy it!​

For more information about Cleantech San Diego and a better presentation of Mr. Jason Anderson please click here.

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